


Sick of Losing Soulmates

by runechesters



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is even more grumpy than usual, Badly, F/F, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Happy Ending, Jace is whipped, M/M, Magnus is shameless, Malec, Minor Angst, Role Reversal, Seelie Clary Fray, Shadowhunter Magnus Bane, Warlock Alec Lightwood, Warlock Isabelle Lightwood, i'm warning you now, inevitably tonnes of fluff, is anybody straight?, jimon, mizzy, no
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-02
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-23 01:07:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11978898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runechesters/pseuds/runechesters
Summary: This is dedicated to Cass (@deflectrunes on AO3 and instagram) for being my inspiration to start writing again and constant support. I'm rewarding her with more canon mizzy. Ily <3I also wanna dedicate this to Zoe, Mia, Kat, Becky, Aleks and the pillowsensuals gc,, ily all and ur nerdiness helped me finish this so thank you <3This was inspired by a number of pieces of art and posts about role reversals- I couldn't resist :')) The title and chapter names will be based off Sick Of Losing Soulmates by Dodie Clark bc its a beautiful song and fits these nerd's story really well.I was originally going to make this just a one chapter mini fic but knowing me its going to grow so expect more chapters in the future!Hope you enjoy!!





	Sick of Losing Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

> This is dedicated to Cass (@deflectrunes on AO3 and instagram) for being my inspiration to start writing again and constant support. I'm rewarding her with more canon mizzy. Ily <3
> 
> I also wanna dedicate this to Zoe, Mia, Kat, Becky, Aleks and the pillowsensuals gc,, ily all and ur nerdiness helped me finish this so thank you <3
> 
> This was inspired by a number of pieces of art and posts about role reversals- I couldn't resist :')) The title and chapter names will be based off Sick Of Losing Soulmates by Dodie Clark bc its a beautiful song and fits these nerd's story really well.
> 
> I was originally going to make this just a one chapter mini fic but knowing me its going to grow so expect more chapters in the future! 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!

The neon lights of Pandemonium flickered as the dark figure crept along the rooftop of the adjacent building, scouring the crowd below. It appeared to predominantly consist of Vampires and Warlocks, all dressed extravagantly and fidgeting impatiently as they waited in line behind the velvet rope. The club was new, having only opened that evening, and it appeared that the majority of the downworld were attempting to squeeze through the double doors for a glimpse inside. The offer of free drinks was most likely a contributing factor too.

Silently, the figure dropped from his vantage point and landed softly in the shadows. He quickly fixed his hair and arranged his necklaces against his bare chest before strolling casually out into the bright lights of the club and straight towards the open doors, much to the indignation of the patrons behind him.

With a smirk, Magnus Bane waltzed inside the club.

Once inside, Magnus elbowed his way through the mass of writhing bodies and eventually emerged from the lust-filled crowd into the open space near the bar, where a dark haired bartender was crouched down, obviously distracted by something much more important than potential customers. Magnus cleared his throat politely, and the man gradually straightened himself out. He was tall, with deep brown skin and dark eyes that now glanced disapprovingly at the obvious runes adorning Magnus' neck and chest, before clearly becoming quickly distracted by the exposed bronze skin and muscular arms moving below his low cut deep purple shirt. He licked his lips slightly and leaned forward. 

"What can I get you, shadowhunter?" he all but purred, wide-pupiled eyes focused solely on Magnus' lips. He almost scoffed at the man's lack of subtly. 

"Just a martini for me, thanks." He drawled, trying his best to look as uninterested as possible. The bartender stood up again, rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath as he moved to make Magnus' drink.

Magnus took this as an opportunity to assess the club, spinning on one leg and resting the other against the glowing panels of the bar. The floor was mostly full of intoxicated downworlders, swaying together in groups or doing what some may have considered 'dancing', only with a lot less rhythm and way too much bodily contact. Aside from that, the club was pleasant- bright lights hung from the ceiling, casting a blue hue over the crowds, and the tall columns were also illuminated, making the whole space feel larger, regardless of the closeness of the bodies. It was almost a shame that he was here on clave business- there was a suspicion of unrest within the downworld community and the Head of the New York Institute, Lucian Graymark, had asked Magnus to monitor and quell it if needs be before they had an uprising on their hands. However there was no visual indication of conflict within the club, except for the two vampire women who appeared to be fighting over a male warlock who was trying futilely to keep them apart. Magnus chuckled as he turned back to the bar to collect his drink, swirling the glass in his hand a little before taking a sip.

He may be here on a job, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun. 

Luckily, fun seemed to present itself to Magnus in the most unusual way possible. In the corner of the club, leaning against a wall, arms crossed and a scowl on his face, stood quite possibly the most attractive man Magnus had seen in years. He was dressed in all black, with a tight fitting leather jacket rolled up to his elbows and a glorious case of bed hair that made his black locks stick up in various directions. He appeared bored, if not slightly frustrated by his situation, and was casting disapproving glares at anyone who stepped within 5 metres of him. Smirking to himself, Magnus arched his back and pushed off the bar, gliding around the edge of the dance floor towards Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome.

* * *

Alec was not having a good time. 

He could have throttled his brother for suggesting this, but then again he had been guilt tripped into it.

Earlier that day, he had been huddled over his desk, poring over book after book, searching for the recipe for a specific potion a client had called him about several days prior. He'd had no luck for hours and was becoming increasingly frustrated, tossing yet another leather bound book aside and using his magic to send it flying black into its respective position on the shelf. He twisted his hand again, dark black smoke whispering from his palms and lifting yet another book onto the table in front of him. He flipped through the worn pages to the section he needed and had just begun reading the first line when he felt a strong gust of wind behind him, and turned to see his brother tumble not-so-gracefully through a portal. 

Jace leaped up from the floor, his long blonde hair falling over his rapidly changing eyes as he grinned over at Alec. His colourful warlock mark differed from Alec's as did his personality- while Jace's bright eyes demanded attention, Alec's dark eyes deflected it, casting attention elsewhere. Today Jace's eyes were a bright blue, but Alec saw a hint of deep pink around his pupils and knew exactly who he'd been to visit.

"Hey big bro!" He called slightly too cheerily for Alec's liking, coming to stand by his desk and hovering over his shoulder. "What you looking for?"

"Some peace and quiet would be wonderful," Alec muttered sarcastically, flipping the book to the cover to show Jace the title rather than actually having to explain what he was doing before returning to the instructions on the page. Still, Jace remained, practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. Alec continued to read, eyes focusing intently on each word, but eventually the energy rolling off his brother in waves became overwhelming.

"Alright, tell me."

Jace let out a sigh before inhaling deeply, and Alec braced himself for the verbal onslaught. 

"So, you know Clary right? The seelie girl I met at the Hunter's moon? Well you know her cute friend? The vampire with the curly hair and dimples and gorgeous smile? You might have met him at Izzy’s party. You probably didn't. You don't leave the house much. Well! His friend Maia, you know, the one Izzy is head over heels with, well she owns a club with a bar and everything and they're having a party to celebrate its opening and I thought you might want to come because you haven't seen anyone in a long time, basically forever and I think it would be a good opportunity for you to meet someone and also I need backup because I'll inevitably get drunk and say something ridiculous in front of Simon and ruin any chance I have of ever getting a date." He was practically panting by now, and he was staring expectantly at Alec with his multi-coloured eyes blown wide.

Alec sat in silence for a minute, considering his answer. He looked up at his brother. "You have a crush on the vampire?" 

Jace looked incredulous. He ran his hands through his hair. "That's seriously all you gathered from that?"

Alec rolled his eyes. "Of course not. You want me to socialise because you think I'm getting lonely. In case you hadn't noticed, I've been on my own for quite a while, and despite yours and Izzy's desperate attempts to set me up with random strangers, I'm still on my own, and I'm still doing just fine that way."

The silence that followed caused Alec to glance back up at Jace, whose colourful eyes had dimmed as he cast a hurt look down to the floor.

“We’re just trying to help,” he murmured, and Alec felt a twinge of guilt rise up in his chest. Although his siblings were loud and brash and never consulted him on any of their plans to set him up, he knew they only wanted the best for him. The only issue was that what he’d said had been true- he did find comfort in solitude, after everything that had happened, and truthfully it had been so long since he had opened his heart to anyone that he’d almost forgotten how. The only people he knew he could count on were his siblings, and therefore they were the only people he had surrounded himself with up until now. He sighed heavily, closing the book in front of him and standing to face Jace. 

“Fine, I’ll come. But only to make sure you don’t try and drunkenly make out with the vampire. Dating him would leave you out of my hair for at least a couple of days a week and I’m not letting you mess that up.”

Jace’s face had burst into a triumphant grin and Alec was already beginning to regret his decision.

Now he stood in the corner of the club, music booming and echoing off the walls, watching his friends by the bar. Jace was laughing with Simon, probably over some lame joke the vampire had made. Next to them sat Izzy and the red headed Seelie girl Alec assumed was Clary- he didn't have a great memory for faces. They were chatting happily with the curly haired bartender who he deduced must be Maia, mainly judging by the absolutely smitten look on his sister's face. He couldn't help but sigh- his siblings gave away their hearts much more readily than he gave away his own, and as much as he couldn't deny he loved seeing them happy, he knew how temporary and fleeting their love would inevitably be, and he knew he would be there in the end to pick up the pieces. Not that he minded. 

Alec was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of a soft hand touching his forearm. He instinctively flinched away from the touch and looked down to face the vampire girl that was looking intently up at his face. She smiled slightly, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes as she asked "do you come here often?" Alec almost snorted at her chosen pick up line, seeing as the club had just opened this very evening and it was unlikely either of them had ever visited before. He coldly assessed the woman before him- her dress was too tight and the neckline too low, and he could see in her eyes exactly what she wanted.

He shifted and dropped his glamour, fixing the girl with the best glare he could muster with his deep black eyes. He had to admit he was vaguely pleased when she flinched back, dropping her arm down to her side and huffing, before flicking her hair and sauntering off after another unsuspecting victim. 

Alec flicked his wrist and felt his magic settle the glamour back into place over his eyes, returning them to their usual hazel colour. He often used the eyes as a deterrent, and admittedly his warlock mark complimented his temperament- he didn't like the attention or unnecessary affection that most of the people here lapped up readily, and he found that the endless darkness of his natural eyes tended to keep others at a safe distance from him. Which was how it should be. How it had always been.

Alec sighed heavily and turned back to the crowd.

* * *

Magnus stalked through the hordes of people standing by the wall, occasionally pressing up onto his toes to ensure Mr Tall Dark and Handsome didn't wander away from him before he could formally introduce himself. He spotted him near the fire escape, his eyes still scanning across the crowd, before coming to rest near Magnus.

The mysterious man must have caught sight of Magnus approaching as he shifted against the wall, looking clearly uncomfortable. It didn't stop the shadowhunter from sliding into place next to him, leaning on one shoulder against the wall and swirling his glass with the other hand. He smirked up at the tall stranger.

Alec didn't know how to react.

He'd barely seen the man coming, and before he could process what was happening he was pressed up into Alec's space, his voice low but somehow still carrying over the noise of the crowd.  
"Have we met before?" He smirked, eyes shining playfully under the lights from the dancefloor. "I thought I'd seen you around before, but then I thought surely if I'd seen that gorgeous face in any setting it would have stood out sufficiently for me to stop and talk to you." 

He breathed deeply, and Alec was about to make his excuses when the man continued. 

"Are you famous? I feel like I've seen you modelling; I mean you've got the face and the body, and the pout, but I can't tell whether that is intentionally hot or whether you're just in a bad mood."

Alec's first thought was that he should drop his glamour, raise his shields, and wait for the man to go away, and maybe learn a lesson about personal space while he was at it.

His second (less helpful) thought was that this man was gorgeous. 

Sure, he was a little over the top, especially for Alec's tastes. His bright green eyes shone under the lights of the club, and Alec noticed that they were lined with glittery kohl, matching the bright glitter shining from his eyelids. His dark hair was spiked up and several strands at the front had been dyed purple, presumably to match his shirt- his scandalously low shirt, Alec noticed with a start. What the shirt failed to cover was an expanse of toned bronze skin adorned with long necklaces and... damn it.

Of course he was a shadowhunter. 

Alec stared at the dark black outline of a rune that peeked out from under the man's collarbone- stamina, if he remembered correctly. That certainly explained why the man was being so persistent in his flirting.

Alec was jerked back into reality by a light cough, and he realised that while he had been doing his silent but thorough analysis of the beautiful man before him, the beautiful man had been expectantly waiting for him to answer his question.

"I'm sorry." He apologised quickly, shifting on his feet. "What did you say?"

The man chuckled, shaking his head slightly and grinning back up at him.

"I said," he repeated slowly. "Do you have any angel in you?"

Alec stared at him in confusion. What did he mean? Of course he didn't. He was a warlock.

"I'm literally half demon. So... No?" Alec mumbled, confused by the Nephilim’s oddly staged question. His answer made the stranger smirk even more, a devilish grin tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"Would you like some?"

Alec coughed loudly, drawing the attention of several indignant downworlders surrounding them. He glared at his unwanted companion, who was doubled over in laughter, drink sloshing dangerously around his glass. When he finally regained some composure, he straightened up, his necklaces jangling as he continued to giggle.

"Apologies darling, but the look on your face..." He snorted. "Priceless." He grinned again, but this time it felt genuine- the mischievous glint in his eyes had been replaced and they crinkled up at the edges as he lifted his hand up to Alec. 

"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Magnus Bane." 

Alec looked down at the ring adorned hand that had been extended to him. He noticed that his fingernails had been painted black, which Alec would ordinarily have found distasteful, but on this Magnus they seemed to look oddly appealing.

Alec raised his own hand and grasped Magnus' awkwardly, shaking them a bit. He didn't really know when to let go, and to be worryingly honest, he realised he didn't want to.

Magnus coughed lightly again, and Alec wrenched his hand back, moving it up to the back of his neck where he nervously rubbed his fingers through his hair. He noticed the shadowhunter was still looking up expectantly at him, and before he could get angry and demand why he kept looking at him like he expected more from him, a wave of realisation hit him.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, cheeks reddening slightly. "I'm Alexander Lightwood. Alec. Alec Lightwood. Just Alec... yeah," he sighed, cursing himself for publicly making a fool of himself. Magnus just continued to grin.

"Well, Just Alec," he winked, and Alec fought to ignore the tug on his heart. "Would you like another drink?" He gestured towards Alec's empty glass sitting beside him on the bench and Alec nodded lamely, following Magnus through the crowd towards the bar and using his century’s worth of self-control to not look down at his ass.

* * *

They sat for a long while at the bar. As shameless as Magnus was, with his endless flirting and innuendos, Alec found his company exciting. His heart was beating faster than was probably healthy, and he could feel the warmth of a blush creeping up his neck and cheeks as Magnus continued to hit him with possibly the worst pick-up lines he had ever heard.

"How about we go back to my place and I show you my mortal sword?" He winked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Alec groaned loudly, closing his eyes and letting his head drop.

"Ok- now that one was truly terrible" he chuckled, shaking his head. He glanced back up at Magnus, whose eyes were wide in what Alec hoped was mock disappointment. 

"My, Alexander. You've really hurt my feelings." His bottom lip quivered dramatically, and Alec scoffed.

"Yeah right. I thought you shadowhunters didn't do feelings. 'Emotions are nothing but a distraction' and all that."

Magnus raised a jewellery adorned hand to his chest. 

"Au contraire, Pretty Boy" he smirked. Alec squirmed a little at the pet name, although he was shocked to find it didn't bother him as much as he had expected.  
"I believe that emotions are just as powerful as your magic. Emotions are the driving force behind the actions of all; human, angel or demon. Whatever stupid, crazy, impulsive things we may do, they all lead back to our feelings."

“Speak for yourself” Alec scoffed, turning to face the drink lying on the table before him. Despite his apparent indifference, something in what Magnus had said had resonated in Alec. He had never met a shadowhunter with as open a heart and mind as the man sat before him, and it gave Alec a glimmer of hope; hope that this new world could be more accepting than the one he had been lost in for centuries. Shadowhunters were not known to affiliate with downworlders, often looking down on them, but Magnus did no such thing. He laughed at Alec’s sarcastic comments, he listened patiently as he talked, and for the first time in his life, after centuries of hiding in the shadows, Alec finally felt seen.

He looked back up at Magnus, preparing himself to verbalise what he felt, when their gazes met. Instead he just stared into his gold-green eyes, blinking as the club lights flashed in the corner of his vision. Alec’s eyes subconsciously flicked down to look at Magnus’ lips, and for a moment, he felt a flutter of something in his chest; something indistinguishable and long-forgotten, hidden under centuries of repression and insecurity. It shocked Alec, and before he could process it, he felt his magic slip from over his eyes and knew his glamour had dropped.

* * *

Magnus was enjoying this immensely.

The beautiful man was squirming as he fired pick-up line after pick-up line in his direction (admittedly, the one about the sword had been crude even by Magnus’ standards) and he was now blushing a brilliant shade of red, his eyes dropping down to his drink. His side profile was just as attractive as his front- all sharp angles in his jawline and cheekbones, with soft lips that he licked noticeably when he was nervous. 

At the moment he seemed to be staring intently into the glass, his mind clearly elsewhere, and Magnus couldn’t help but stare. Alec clearly noticed his gaze after a minute, turning his head back up to face Magnus, whose breath hitched a bit as their eyes met. Alec seemed to jump a little, panic in his hazel eyes as Magnus watched the magic in front of them fall away.

* * *

Alec was panicking, his breath coming too fast. He always let his glamour down. Why was this time suddenly different?

His head wasn't cooperating with his body, and it appeared neither was his magic. He tried furiously to bring down the glamour, but every time his magic started at his fingertips it faded out just as fast.  
Magnus stepped even closer towards him, his eyes now serious and wide with something Alec couldn't decipher- it wasn't the look of fear and discomfort he usually received, but something more open and curious. 

In a last ditch attempt, Alec lifted his arm up to his eyes and obscured them from Magnus' view.

He knew he should be saying something to Magnus, but what could he say? His mind was a mess, his thoughts loud and echoing through his head. He had always used his eyes to push people away, but in that moment he realised he didn’t want to push Magnus away. He wanted to stay close to him. He wanted to be closer to him than anyone he'd ever known.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a soft touch on his forearm. He felt warm skin against his, as well as the cool metal of Magnus' rings. The touch alone should have sent Alec running, but in this moment it steadied him, pulled him away from his thoughts. He felt another hand on his arm, pulling it gently down from his eyes, which were still screwed shut. 

"Alexander." 

He hated that name. Hated that word. But from Magnus' mouth it sounded so... innocent. Not at all connected with his past, with the damage that had been done using that name. Not something he had to hide. For a moment, Alec glimpsed a future where he didn't have to hide himself. Where he didn't have to be afraid of what he was or what he could do. Where he could be free. 

Alec opened his eyes.

* * *

They were the most beautiful things Magnus had ever seen.

Alec was gorgeous anyway, black eyes or not. But Magnus found himself unable to tear away from them, unable to say or do anything except gently lift a hand to Alec's face. It was hard to gage his emotions without the features in his eyes but he could swear he felt Alec flinch slightly under the touch, could see the vulnerability that flashed across his face. Yet he didn't move. Didn't go to push Magnus away. Magnus gulped slightly, gazing into the new mystery that was Alec's eyes. They were so deep, he could feel himself falling into them, getting lost in them. He let out a light breath.

"They're beautiful." He said, gently moving his thumb over Alec's cheekbone, feeling him shudder beneath his touch. 

* * *

Alec's head was a hurricane.  
His thoughts were everywhere, vicious and angry and yelling at him to pull away, to flinch back, to shout and scream and get as far away as possible from this man. But he couldn't. He just sat before Magnus, his insecurities laid bare before this stranger he had only met hours before. 

When Magnus touched his cheek, everything went quiet. It was as if the thoughts in his head were waiting for the verdict, waiting for Magnus to turn away in disgust, or fear, or anger. But instead a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and he leaned in closer.

"They're beautiful." 

Two words that sent those insecurities up in flames.

* * *

Magnus pulled his hand back, slowly, as to not break eye contact with Alec. He could see his insecurities written on his face, he could relate to them, and he didn't want Alec to put his walls back up. Not when Magnus had felt so close to him. When he had seen Alec begin to open up to him.

"Alexander..." he repeated quietly.

* * *

Alec was about to speak when he felt another body slam into him from behind. He was about to turn around and blast the offending person through the wall when he came face to face with his swaying, visibly intoxicated brother.

"Alec," he moaned, slumping onto the taller man's shoulder. "I messed up. I said something stupid to Simon and now I'm too drunk to sort it out and I may have tried to kiss him but he pulled away and I don't know what I'm doing..." He trailed off near the end, his now murky brown eyes suddenly focussing on the man in front of Alec. He stood quietly for a long while, as if assessing the right thing to say in this situation. Suddenly, he blurted out "Wow Alec! You scored!"

Alec stood rooted to spot for a minute, before he lifted Jace's arm over his shoulder, coughing awkwardly.  
"It's alright Jace. Don't worry about Simon. I'll get you home." 

He hoisted Jace up, thrusting his other arm out as a shining portal came into view.  
Before Alec stepped forward, he turned to Magnus, and simply said "Thank you." Then he stepped through the portal and he was gone.

Magnus didn't even get his number.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to clear a couple of things up because I'm not sure how well I explained them in the fic- Jace's warlock mark is multi-coloured eyes that change constantly depending on his moods etc (inspired by his heterochromatic eyes) and Alec's eyes are pure black, like the demon eyes from supernatural. Izzy is also a warlock- I haven't decided on her mark yet but I will elaborate on that in future chapters. 
> 
> There will be a lot more jimon and mizzy in the future chapters, sorry they're a little lacking here!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what you think!


End file.
